COLUMBUS – Capital University's women's soccer team capped off its non-conference regular schedule on Wednesday evening, with a 2-0 victory over Kenyon College.
In the first half of play, both teams established a very physical style of play, as a combined 15 fouls were recorded in the opening frame.
Pacing the Crusaders attack in the first half was seniorHilary Ells who tallied two shots, both on goal, while freshman Monique Hanayik substituted in to help pressure the opposition on on the offensive side of the ball.
Heading into halftime, the game was scoreless despite Capital recording four of its six shots on goal, while the Ladies tallied seven of their nine shots on goal.
"Kenyon came at us hard and had us a bit unbalanced in the first half," said head coach Chris Kouns. "But, once we got our footing and began to keep possession and play it around on the ground, then we began to find the game and the attacking success that came with it."
Shortly into the second half, the Crusaders took a 1-0 advantage in the 54th minute following a goal by Ells on a rebound that she corralled from her previous shot, striking the ball over the Kenyon goalkeeper.
Just eight minutes later, the Ladies committed a foul in the box, giving the Capital a penalty kick.
Sophomore Maura Fortino took the penalty kick, extending the Crusaders lead to 2-0 in the 62nd minute...
vs. John Carroll
COLUMBUS – The Capital University women's soccer team opened up its Ohio Athletic Conference regular season schedule with a 2-0 win over John Carroll on Saturday afternoon.
Last year, the Crusaders saw their season come to an end following the Blue Streaks advancing in the OAC Tournament quarterfinals after a 1-1 draw in double overtime, leading to John Carroll's 3-2 shootout victory.
As the first half began, both teams were limited to just two shots on goal apiece in the opening frame, as neither team managed to score through the first 45 minutes.
In the opening half, Capital recorded nine total shots as opposed to John Carroll's four, while neither team was able to earn a corner kick.
But, as the second half of play got underway, the Crusaders were able to unload scoring two goals in a span of 12 minutes.
The first goal came in the 52nd minute on an assist by sophomore Jamie Murray, in which freshman Monique Hanayik tapped into the left side of the net past the outstretched arms of the Blue Streaks goalkeeper.
On the second goal, it was Murray in the 64th minute who once again tallied an assist, crossing a shot from the far right side of the field to senior Hilary Ells, who netted a shot inside the box to the upper right corner of the goal.
From that point forward, the Crusaders were able to stifle the Blue Streaks offensive attack, limiting them to just four of their seven shots coming on goal for the game.
With the 2-0 victory, the Crusaders recorded their third straight shutout, fifth in their last six matches...
vs. Heidelberg
COLUMBUS – Capital University's women's soccer team defeated Heidelberg, 2-0, on Friday afternoon in the second Ohio Athletic Conference of the Crusaders' 2013 regular season.
Following a scoreless first half of play, in which both teams combined for nine shots, the Crusaders opened up the second half with a goal almost right away.
In the 49th minute, freshman Becca Cartmill scored the first goal of the match on an assist from freshman Claire Quinn, coming off a ball that rolled passed the Heidelberg goalkeeper, allowing for Cartmill to net the ball into the top left corner.
Then in the 67th minute, sophomore Jamie Murrayplaced a textbook cross off to Cartmill, who extended the Crusaders lead following a one touch shot for her second goal of the game.
From that point forward, neither team managed to find the net, as the Crusaders capped off their fourth straight shutout with a 2-0 victory.
In total, the Crusaders tallied 15 shots with nine of them coming on goal, as opposed to five of six shots coming on goal for Heidelberg.
"For teams that want to be championship caliber and want to compete at the levels we hope to compete at, we need a much better effort and focus than we came with this evening," Kouns said.
Leading the way for the Crusaders was Cartmill, scoring her second and third goals of the season, while Quinn and Murray recorded their first and third assists, respectively.
Senior goalkeeper Maggie Donnellan once again locked down the net for the Crusaders, stopping all four shots on goal that she faced....
@Wilmington
WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Capital University women's soccer team had its four game win streak snapped on Wednesday night, falling 2-1 at Ohio Athletic Conference opponent Wilmington.
"Wilmington is an extremely tough place to play," head coach Chris Kouns said. "They play extremely hard at home and when you come here, you know you're going to be in for a battle and it will come down to who wants to win more than who has to win."
In the opening period, both teams managed to find the back of the net, scoring within a 13 minute span of one another.
Wilmington inked the scoreboard first on an assisted shot in the 27th minute, giving the Quakers a 1-0 advantage midway through the first half of play.
However, the Crusaders would answer with a score of their own, as senior Hilary Ells netted an unassisted goal in the 40th minute, just before halftime.
Heading into an evenly tied halftime, both teams managed to unload a fair amount of shots in the opening frame, as Capital totaled seven as opposed to Wilmington's nine.
As the second half unfolded, neither team could break the tie for over 30 minutes, until the Quakers managed to find the back of the net in the 39th minute, giving them a 2-1 lead.
The Quakers goal came on a penalty kick in the 39thminute, a shot which was initially saved by senior goalkeeper Maggie Donnellan, but was still a live ball to which Wilmington tapped in for the decisive goal.
"Maggie (Donnellan) did a tremendous job saving that penalty kick," Kouns said. "But we just stood there and watched the ball and Wilmington followed it up and finished it in.".....
@Mount Union
ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Capital University women's soccer team defeated Mount Union, 2-1, in comeback fashion on Saturday afternoon.
"Today was probably some of the best soccer we have played all season," said head coach Chris Kouns. "We really controlled the entire game outside about a ten minute span of counter attacking and our team showed some terrific character today."
After 35 minutes of play, the Purple Raiders broke the scoreless tie, netting the game's first goal in the 36thminute.
"We shouldn't have given up that goal," Kouns said. "But, you have to credit Mount Union for finishing the play into the net."
Heading into halftime, both teams managed to unload just four shots a piece, while the Crusaders surrendered the lone penalty kick of the opening frame to their opposition.
As the second half unfolded, neither team could find the net for quite some time, as both teams went without a goal for over 30 minutes of play.
Then in 79th minute, the Crusaders tied the game at 1-1 following an assist to the near post by sophomore Allison Mervau, where sophomore Jamie Murray was waiting for the score.
Three minutes later, the Crusaders took their first lead of the match as freshman Becca Cartmill scored the tiebreaking goal in the 82nd minute, this time Murray was on the assisting end of the score after winning a ball on their end of the field.
From that point forward, the Crusaders held the Purple Raiders offense at bay, eventually going on to win by a final score of 2-1....
@ Ohio Northern
ADA, Ohio - Capital University's women's soccer team suffered a 2-0 defeat at Ohio Northern on Sunday afternoon.
The match was originally scheduled for Oct. 8, but was postponed due to inclement weather on the day of the game.
So as the Crusaders traveled to Ada for a rare Sunday regular season Ohio Athletic Conference matchup, they were also on the verge of competing in their third conference game in a span of five days.
Ohio Northern got on the board first with a goal in the 15th minute of play, with the score coming on a ball that made its way into the box and was deflected into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Then in the 32nd minute, the Polar Bears doubled their lead following a cross into the box that was headed just past senior goalkeeper Maggie Donnellan, giving the Polar Bears a 2-0 halftime advantage.
After one half of play, the Polar Bears managed to unload 12 shots as opposed to the Crusaders total of four.
As the second half unfolded, the Crusaders were able to manufacture a few opportunities, increasing their shot total to seven in the second half, 11 total for the match.
"I'm really pleased with the effort of those who played in the second half," said head coach Chris Kouns. "We created some dangerous opportunities that their goalkeeper came up big on a few times."
However, Capital was unable to find the back of the net, as the Polar Bears went on to win, 2-0, in the Crusaders fifth OAC regular season match.
"Obviously we were very disappointed to lose," Kouns said. "Not sure if it was a result of yesterday's game, but we came out very flat in the first half and just did not play very well."
Kouns did point out though that the second half proved to be a potential building block for the remainder of the Crusaders regular season conference schedule....
vs. Marietta
COLUMBUS – The Capital University women's soccer team dominated in a 5-0 win over Marietta on Tuesday afternoon, improving to 4-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
Capital's first half was jump started by senior Hilary Ells, who scored four goals in the opening frame, giving the Crusaders a commanding 4-0 advantage at the half.
In addition, the Crusaders managed to unload 17 shots, 12 of them on goal, in the first half.
As the second half unfolded, the Crusaders unveiled a fresh set of 11 players on the field, who added to the team's lead in the 85th minute of play, as freshmanJackie Kelly put the finishing touches, from just outside the box, on an assist by senior Alyssa Goodnight.
"In the second half, I thought a couple of the players who came in did very well for themselves," said head coach Chris Kouns. "Madison (Palmer) really did a good job showing for the ball and playing short connecting balls to help us get forward."
In total, Capital manufactured 13 shots on goal out of a total of 22 shots.
"We had some individuals step forward today and turn up their sleeves to work on the little things," Kouns said. "That should benefit us in the coming week."
Leading the way for the Crusaders was Ells, recording four goals on the afternoon, the most scored in a Capital women's soccer match since Joey Hayes did so against Bluffton in 1999. Ells now sits atop the Crusaders list this season in both points (24) and goals (12).
"Obviously Hilary Ells really turned up her work rate today and that made the difference for us in the final third," Kouns said. "If she brings that work rate on a consistent basis down the stretch, we will be able to make a good run in the OAC Tournament.".....
